A New Minion
by MrLRocks78
Summary: A new minion is due to enter the distinguished halls of Castle Bleck! Rejoice! But this new minion is pretty... well, strange. Will the minions be able to deal with the Count's old friend? And what's up with her and Dimentio?
1. Four O'Clock

It was a normal day at Castle Bleck. By normal, I mean as normal as a castle housing a count, a brainwashing secretary, a human who used to be a Pixl, a brawn-over-brains Scotsman, a shapeshifting girl, a creepy flying jester and a masked man. The minions were gathered at the Meeting Room, their hair tangled and their eyes constantly drooping. I don't really blame them, seeing as it was four o'clock in the morning.

The Count suddenly teleported onto his podium, quickly accompanied by Timpani and Nastasia. All three were straight-backed and bright-eyed, and they looked ready to start the day.

"Everyone had a good sleep, asked Count Blumiere?"

There were incomprehensible murmurs from the other four.

"C'mon guys, look lively," said Nastasia. "There's a new-minion orientation today."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

"WHO? WHO? WHO?" yelped Mimi, jumping up and down.

"Is it a lass or a lad?" questioned O'Chunks.

"Can they perform magic?" inquired Dimentio, creating a magic blast to illustrate his point.

"What's their name?" yelled Mr. L.

"Calm down!" exclaimed Timpani. "We're not exactly sure."

"All we know is that her name's Raven Featherclaw and she's a friend of the Count, 'K?" replied Nastasia. "So, uh, quit your yelling and stuff. She'll be here around midday. That okay with everyone?"

More murmurs.

"Super," said Nastasia.

"Excellent!" beamed Blumiere. "Now, Raven is... well..."

"Crazy?" suggested Mimi.

"Mad?" said O'Chunks.

"Mentally unstable?" put in Dimentio.

"Dead?" said Mr. L.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" he said. "I didn't get much sleep last night, alright? No need to look at me as if I'm a squashed antelope."

"A whut?" asked O'Chunks.

Mr. L frowned. "Don't know where that came from."

"Anyway, the point is that I am requiring you all to be open-minded," continued the Count. "Please make sure you make Raven feel welcome!"

"Oh, I'll make sure O Count," smirked Dimentio.

Mimi eyed him with dislike. "You are _really _creepy, ya know that?"

"Why, indeed I do, Mimi."

"Well then that's good."

"It is?" butted in O'Chunks.

"Of course it isn't!" hissed Mr. L.

"A'course. Sorry 'bout 'dat, L."

"Why're you saying sorry to _me_?"

"Sorry 'bout whut?"

"..."


	2. Raven Featherclaw

Midday was the time when the minions usually set out to explore Misery Forest, the forest that was gathered west of the Castle and housed Bolt the aldawolf and Xena the crow. However, today they were gathered once again in the Meeting Room, this time showered, dressed and eagerly awaiting the newcomer, who hadn't come just yet.

"This isn't _fair_!" whined Mimi. "Why does this 'Paven Weatherclaw' get to be late to _her _new-minion orientation, when _we _have to be right on schedule?"

"I believe the newcomer's name is 'Raven Featherclaw'," said Dimentio smoothly. "And besides, she must be allowed because she is a friend of our oh-so-beloved Count."

"Well, I'm glad we gawt sum new blood comin'," interrupted O'Chunks firmly. "'Dis Raven Featherclaw might be pretty strong! I might actually 'ave a worthy opponent when ah arm-wrestle."

"She's a _girl_," snapped Mimi. "She's probably into stuff that _isn't _arm-wrestling."

"Like dresses?" suggested Mr. L lightly.

Mimi's eyes widened. "OMIGOSHINEVERTHOUGHTOFTHAT!"

"Whut?" said O'Chunks.

"No-one else understood," muttered Dimentio. "You are not the only one who is baffled."

"What's 'baffel'?" asked O'Chunks.

Mr. L made a face.

Suddenly, Mimi gasped really loudly and pointed at a crow sitting on the window. It looked very much like Xena. But then again, all crows look pretty much the same. The only thing that distinguished this crow from the others swooping and diving and cawing over Misery Forest was that this particular crow had a long green sash tied round its head.

"Yo," it said.

"OMIGOSHAREYOURAVENFEATHERCLAW?" screamed Mimi.

The crow blinked black eyes. "What?"

Quite by chance, the Count, Timpani and Nastasia by his side, teleported into the room. The Count looked first at his flabbergasted minions, then at the crow, and finally at the sash.

His mouth fell open.

"R-Raven?" he stammered, approaching the crow uncertainly. "I didn't expect you to be _this _early!"

The crow shrugged. "Hey. I've been improving."

The Count gave a weak smile. Then, he turned to face the others.

"Minions, this is Raven Featherclaw," he told them. "She's an old friend of mine."

"How true," nodded Raven.

"How about showing them what you _really _look like?" inquired Blumiere.

Raven sighed and fluttered down onto a podium that the minions could have sworn wasn't there a second ago. Her outline began to glow a faint white. Then, she changed altogether.

Before, where a black crow had been standing, there now stood a straight-backed young girl, of about sixteen. Her short, jet-black hair lay in an untidy mass around her head. Her eyes were emerald-green and fiery. She wore a green dirty T-shirt with short sleeves. Her pants were brown and cut roughly below the knee. She was barefoot, and around her head was a green sash tied at the back of her head. The parts of the sash not tied tightly around her head were trailing aimlessly down the back of it.

"'Sup," said Raven, holding up a hand. Her hands were covered by black fingerless gloves. Mr. L raised an eyebrow.

"So _you're _Raven?" said Mimi, frowning as she inspected the newcomer. "Not a fan of fashion, I assume..."

"Fashion?" replied Raven, also frowning. "I come from Endonta. This weirdo 'fashion' thingy of yours sounds - to be blunt - stupid."

Dimentio muffled a shout of laughter behind his hands.

"WHAT?" Mimi drew herself up to her full height. "How _dare _you insult fashion like that! Fashion is an art, something to be mastered with elegance, gracefulness, delicacy and - "

"Stupidness?" interrupted Raven lightly.

Dimentio burst out laughing.

Mimi's eyes flashed dangerously. She took a step forward, but was held back by O'Chunks.

"'Dat lass's an ol' friend o' the Count's," he murmured to her. "Don' go bitin' off more'n you c'n chew."

Mimi glared angrily at Raven, who was staring at her, one eyebrow raised expectantly and a little cockily. She grumbled something and yanked herself out of O'Chunks's grip.

Nastasia cleared her throat, trying to restore order. "So Raven. Could you, uh, tell these guys about where you come from, 'K?"

Raven nodded and cleared her throat.


	3. The Song

"_I come from far away,  
><em>_A world different from your own.  
><em>_And if you would be oh-so-kind,  
><em>_To offer this girl a home."_

When Raven sang, it was like birdsong. Strange and twittering, and yet somehow beautiful to listen to. Everyone present was caught, spellbound, from the first word. Everyone, that is, except for the three people who had heard her sing before.

"_Endonta is the name,_  
><em>I fled because that I,<br>__Had responsibilities,  
>Outside of that paradise.<em>

_Oh, how I wept, bitter tears they were._  
><em>But I was strong and I,<em>  
><em>Remembered the lessons I had learned,<em>  
><em>About hunting and how to fly.<em>

_I found a shining light,_  
><em>Blinding and glimmering,<em>  
><em>I reached out to touch the thing,<em>  
><em>Golden and shimmering.<em>

_I stuck my hand through the thing,_  
><em>And as I did the foolish act,<em>  
><em>I was sucked off my feet into another world,<em>  
><em>Just like that!<em>

_And now I am here,_  
><em>Like it or not,<em>  
><em>If it wasn't for me,<em>  
><em>Your Count would have been left to<em> rot!"

The last word was spoken with force. As it left her tongue, the spell was broken, and Mimi, Nastasia, Timpani and O'Chunks seemed to come out of a dream, shaking their heads and rubbing their eyes. Raven - a smirk playing on her lips - bowed mockingly to them. "Now, now. Hold your applause."

"T'at wuz a nice song, lass," complimented O'Chunks drowsily. "Made me kinda sleepeh."

"Me t-t-too," said Mimi, yawning hugely.

"I'm having trouble staying a..." began Nastasia, then suddenly slumped down. O'Chunks yelled and bounded forwards, but Nastasia was simply lying on the floor, snoring slightly, her glasses askew.

O'Chunks sighed with relief. Then, he too curled up in a ball and began to snore.

Mimi yawned once more and flopped onto the ground.

Only Timpani was able to stay awake. She pinched herself, went "Ow!", then straightened up. The pinch had woken her up.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Strong ones, eh? Nifty. Never seen two strangers who can resist my singing, though."

She glared at Mr. L and Dimentio, both of them two of the only ones who had stayed awake during the song.

"The Count can stay awake while I sing 'cause he's heard it before," said Raven, more to herself than to the others. "But who are the other two? Hmm... this is getting weird..."

"Excuse me," interrupted Dimentio. "I believe the Count wishes for his minions to be - ah - _awake _while he speaks to them. Otherwise, it is like talking to a snoring brick wall, annoying and unresponsive."

"Alright, alright!" exclaimed Raven, throwing her hands up as though to defend herself. "I'll wake 'em."

"Thank you," murmured Blumiere. "And afterwards, I wish to speak to you in my office, Raven. You too, Mr. L and Dimentio."

"How swell," muttered Mr. L sarcastically. "Spending my spare time stuck in an office with a stranger girl and a creepy murdering jester. I couldn't be happier."

"You sound sarcastic," said Timpani.

"Ya think?"


	4. The Memory

The three were sitting in Count Blumiere's office. It was large, spacious and messy. Kind of a weird combination. Anyway, Raven was in the middle, playing rock-paper-scissors with herself. Mr. L was on the left, leaning backwards in his chair, his wings spread out, trying to look like he owned the entire Castle. And Dimentio was sitting with his legs crossed on the right seat, absent-mindedly humming a random tune under his breath.

The Count was not here yet. Raven shot a glance and Mr. L, who stared back at her and fell onto all four chair legs with a loud 'bang'.

The sound alerted the Count, who teleported onto his chair immediately.

"What do you require of us, O Count?" asked Dimentio.

"Not so much you as Raven," said Blumiere, looking at the said minion and propping his chin on his hands, which were clasped together. "Have you been practicing your singing lately, Raven?"

Raven nodded. "I practice every day... twice."

"Wow," muttered Mr. L, sitting up in his chair and fiddling with a stray feather. "Your life must be pretty dull."

"Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Mr. L, the Green Thunder!"

"What does the L stand for? Loser? It'd fit!"

"Least I can stay awake while you do all that freaky singing of yours!""

"Shut it, big-nose!"

"RAVEN! L!" yelled the Count, pushing his chair back and standing up impatiently. "I will _not _tolerate this childish behaviour! Understood?"

The two looked at each other spitefully, then grumbled something and turned away. Dimentio chuckled.

Raven's fist was immediately two inches away from Dimentio's nose. "Gimme one reason why I shouldn't _punch your face __in_ right now!"

"Because you know what I'll do if you do?" replied Dimentio.

Raven did not remove her fist.

"Featherclaw," said Blumiere in a dangerous voice.

Slowly, Raven withdrew her fist from Dimentio's face, though she continued to stare angrily at him once the Count had turned away.

_Who does she hate more? _Mr. L thought curiously. _Me or the jester? Mm... probably Dimentio. There's certainly a ton of reasons why _not _to trust him. But she said that she and Dimentio and me are strangers. Why does she hate us all of a sudden?_

Mr. L was suddenly hit by a thought. If he had not experienced the things he had in the past, he would have blurted it out. Instead, he held his tongue and let the Count pull out what he had been rummaging for.

It was a small glass phial, just like the one used to store the potion that turned them into Pokemon. The three stared as the Count emptied the swirling blue stuff out onto the cluttered desk. Once it made contact with the desk, it started to swirl faster and faster, forming into a perfect circle. Suddenly, the circle shimmered, and it was clear and see-through. But what it held was something very strange.

A triangle, one line purple, one green and one black. As they watched, the image swirled itself into another picture, one of a younger version of the Count hanging off a ledge.

_"Help me! Someone, HELP!"_

"Is that you?" asked Mr. L interestedly.

"It is, admitted Count Blumiere."

"I remember this!" exclaimed Raven.

"When do you come into this?" said Dimentio.

"Just watch," insisted the Count.

_A girl with short black hair mounted on a giant green lizard suddenly bounded past. "HELP ME!" screamed Blumiere._

_The girl pulled on the reins of her steed and slid off it expertly. The lizard hesitated before following its owner, its muddy-brown claws glinting in the sun._

_"T-thank you," panted Blumiere. "I have been here for - "_

_SKREEEEEEEEEE!_

_A giant eagle swooped down and picked up Blumiere. His screams echoed in the air. Gaping, the girl jumped back onto her steed._

_"Run, Valk, run!" she yelled.  
><em>  
>The memory swirled back into itself. Count Blumiere scooped it up and slid it back into its phial.<p>

"I assume that is a magically preserved memory?" inquired Dimentio.

"That is correct," said the Count, nodding seriously. "Raven saved me from that roc_ - _which is that creature you saw just before - and gave me food, drink and tended to my wounds. She saved my life, and I owe her that much."

"It's true," butted in Raven. "He does."

"But I do not understand!" exploded Blumiere. "Only people Raven has known are spared the worse part of her singing! And you three don't..."

His voice trailed off.

"What's up, Count?" asked Mr. L. "Memory got your tongue?"

"I suppose you could say something like that," murmured the Count. "Count Blumiere has had an idea... but he does not know if it is accurate enough to risk it..."

"Risk _what_?" demanded Mr. L.

"Oh, you'll see," promised the Count grimly.

"I don't like your tone," said Mr. L cautiously.

"You're not supposed to," said Raven._  
><em>


	5. The End

After a few weeks, Raven had become a true minion of Count Blumiere. She knew the Castle inside-out and outside-in. Her knowledge of Misery Forest outstripped the other minions' knowledge by far. She had befriended Mr. L and Mimi, and hated Dimentio's very guts. After a month, Count Blumiere called a meeting.

"I wonder what the meeting's about!" whispered Mimi excitedly.

"I hope it isn't about me," muttered Mr. L. "It wasn't my fault that Brobot blew up the west wing of the castle!"

"Kinda was," said Raven lightly.

Mr. L scoffed and flew off ahead of them. Mimi watched him round the corner and disappear.

"Honestly," she sighed, shaking her head. "Sometimes I despair of him."

"Really?" asked Raven.

"No. I just ignore him half of the time."

"Classic you, eh?"

"CLASSIC? What's that s'posed to mean?"

"N-nothing! Yeesh!"

Mimi narrowed her eyes, but brightened almost instantly when she caught sight of the door to the Meeting Room. She, Raven and Mr. L entered the Room. The Count waiting for his minions. He was conversing with Timpani, O'Chunks and Nastasia in a low voice, but broke off almost instantly when he caught sight of Mr. L, Raven and Mimi. Dimentio was hovering sedately above their heads, watching the scene unfold silently, his strange grin playing around his lips.

"Ah, hello minions," said the Count, straightening up. "I would just like to congratulate Raven on her first successful month in Castle Bleck."

"Good on ya, lass," approved O'Chunks, slapping Raven on the back.

"Um, congratulations," muttered Nastasia.

"Great job!" beamed Timpani.

"Go Raven!" squealed Mimi.

"Well done," smirked Mr. L from behind Raven.

"Why thank you," replied Raven.

Blumiere looked up at Dimentio. "Aren't you going to congratulate her, Dimentio?"

"Are you crazy, like some old man jabbering on in his wheelchair, the purple veins on his head bulging?" inquired Dimentio lightly.

"No," sighed Blumiere. "But Count Blumiere gets your drift."

**The end. Please review!**


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